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This Weekend’s Top Pick: Festival on the Hill

Hello friends and fellow party people! Well, it’s official. Summer has begun. The only bad thing? The days are starting to get shorter! That means we have to embrace the sunshine and warmth while we can! Read on to find out where you can do just that!

Friday, June 24th

Who doesn’t love a good summer music festival? This weekend check out Festival on the Hill, aka Dayton’s Summer Funfest. I’m the queen of “Fun” so it’s right up my alley! I’m sure yours too! Live music line up is huge, including: Clark Manson, Dirty Deeds, John King, Alexis Gomez, Eric Jerardi, Ashley Martin, Chris Mulcahy, A Sweet Sound, The Blackbirds, Corndrinkers, Emily Spicer, The New Old Fashioned, Kelly Zullo, Acarya, Spungewurthy, Dulhan, and dance from the Celtic Academy of Irish Dance.

The festival, located at the Masonic Temple, goes on all weekend with the following hours: 5-11 p.m. Friday, 6/24; noon-11 p.m. Saturday, 6/25; noon-7 p.m. Sunday, 6/26. COST: $6 General Admission. $5 Active Police, Military, Fire, EMS (with current ID). All tickets sold at gate.

A classic rock night out in my book: The Boxcar Suite at The Trolley Stop. Boom! There ya go! The band is performing the whole night to explore some deep cuts, brand new material and pay homage to their beginnings by playing their album “It Shall Be Revealed” start to finish. Music starts at 9:30 p.m., followed by two more sets of new material. I assume a $5 cover at the door.

A fun reunion show is going on at Blind Bob’s this evening, featuring Krusty Watch Guys. Two other local bands, Dip Spit and Duderus, are kicking off the evening at 9 p.m. I assume a $5 cover at the door.

If you’re in a funky Friday mood, swing over to Jimmie’s Ladder 11 to catch Freakquency, who starts live music at 10pm. They’ve been hard at work on a new album, so check out what they’ve been up to! Jimmie’s has a late night menu till 1 a.m., so it’s a great way to catch a late night bite and some live tunes. Plus the bartenders are pretty freaking cool too! I assume a $5 cover at the door.

Saturday, June 25th

An interesting event on my radar starts early on Saturday and runs all day: The 43rd Annual Hecklemania event at Feathers in the Oregon District. It’s a music and comedy extravaganza, which promises food and fun as well. Entertainment starts at noon. For the full line up and more information click here.

If you’re still feeling the funk (in a good way!) on Saturday, party with The Mainline Funk over at Brixx Ice House for a free show celebrating Mikey G’s birthday! Fun! Those guys are great. They’ll be on the patio for your listening pleasure starting at 9 p.m. No cover.

It’s always fun at Oregon Express, but tonight will up another level with folkadelic rock band Nasty Bingo. They have the very talented duo of Erich Reith and Khrys Blank get the party rolling with an opening set. Music starts at 9:30 p.m. $5 cover at the door.

For the hard rock fans out there, join the Cult of Cats at Blind Bob’s, with Curse of Cassandra, Electro Cult Circus, Goodnight Goodnight, and Præy. Cat cosplay is encouraged. $5 at the door. A portion of the door goes to The 10th Life, Dayton’s no-kill cat shelter.

Out west of town, you can rock out to Shotgun Surprise at Taffy’s of Eaton. They are loud, they are fun. Always a good time, particularly with their twist on some familiar favorites they squeeze in between their rockin’ originals.

As always, thank you for supporting live music!

Your Dayton Music Insider,

Libby Ballengee

Note to Readers: The information above is for June 24th-25th. If I don’t list a price, I’m not sure what the price is. Typically cover charges for local shows are $5. Please click the hyperlinks to find out more about the bands, venues and events, including start times, directions, and ticket availability. Check out the latest shows I’m promoting @theVenusChild. You can also keep up with my adventures on Instagram here or follow me on Twitter @LibbyBallengee. Cheers and Rock On!